Conventionally, a slide switch is disclosed which relieves, by a cushioning function of a leaf spring mounted on a case or a slider, contact occurring when a slider sliding within the slide switch and the case housing the slider come into contact with each other in order to reduce operation noise generated by a switch operation of the slide switch (see, for example, Japanese laid-open patent application publication No. 2002-42608). Whenever the lever of the slide switch is moved in a horizontal direction, the slider slides, so that terminals of the slide switch turn on and off to provide switching of the slide switch. In this event, a leaf spring having an elastic characteristic is mounted as a cushion member on a portion where the slider sliding by the operation of the lever comes in contact with the case to reduce generation of the operation noise due to the switch operation.
The slider is a sliding part capable of the switch operation and also referred to as movable member.
FIG. 8 is a configuration drawing showing an outline of a conventional slide switch to illustrate a three-position type one capable of three-position switching. As shown in FIG. 8, the slide switch 120 comprises a lever 122 functioning as a handle in the switching operation, a slider 124 in which the lever is fitted, a case 110 having a space enabling the slider 124 to slide, and a substrate 130 on which the slider 124 is mounted. On a lower face of the substrate 130 are provided terminals 130a, 130b, and 130c. When the slider 124 slides by the operation to the lever, the slide switch 120 turns on and off with the terminals 130a, 130b, and 130c. As described above, the slide switch is configured as the three-position type one, and a slide switch of two-position type and the like are configured individually.
The case 110 is formed by a process of folding a frame 111 so as to cover a periphery of the slider 124. When the lever 122 of the slide switch 120 is moved in a horizontal direction, the terminals 130a, 130b, and 130c are electrically turned on and off to provide switching of the slide switch 120. Further, a leaf spring 121 having an elastic characteristic is mounted as the cushion member at a place where the slider 124 sliding by the operation of the lever 122 comes into contact with the case 110. The operation of the lever 122 slides the slider 124. When the slider 124 and the case 110 come into contact, the leaf spring 121 cushions the contact by its cushioning function. This can reduce generation of the operation noise due to the switch operation.
However, such the slide switch 120 has a clearance between the slider 124 and the case 110 in an up-down direction. Accordingly, this clearance allows the slider 124 to vibrate in the up-down direction. Thus, the slide switch generates vibration noise due to vibration of a vehicle under traveling. This vibration noise is dissonant for a driver, resulting in a bad operation feeling.
Further, the leaf spring 121, which is the cushion member, is a different member, so that another work of mounting it on the case 110 is required.
Accordingly, a slide switch according to the present invention is developed to solve such the problem and has a problem of reducing the generation of the vibration noise of the slid switch due to the vibration of the vehicle under traveling and the operation noise due to the switching operation.